


to say fair's fair

by smartbuckley



Category: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: Gen, Mentions of Cancer, Mentions of Marjan Marwani, Mentions of Michelle Blake, Mentions of Paul Strickland, Owen is somewhat critical of Carlos, Protective Owen Strand, post episode coda
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-29
Updated: 2020-01-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:48:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22457509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smartbuckley/pseuds/smartbuckley
Summary: Owen learns about TK's arrest and decides to have a talk with his son, all while feeling slightly hypocritical.
Relationships: Owen Strand & TK Strand
Comments: 20
Kudos: 154





	to say fair's fair

**Author's Note:**

> As much as I loved episode three of _Lonestar_ , I felt like there should have been more father and son moments between TK and Owen, so I decided to write this beauty. I hope you guys enjoy the fic. It's not beta-edited, so all mistakes are mine. And it's somewhat critical of Carlos as a character for a few sentences, because I'm somewhat critical of the man, so I'm sorry if that bugs you. But I hope y'all enjoy it nonetheless.
> 
> Also, if you want, I suggest listening to beds are burning by midnight oil while reading.

“Captain Strand, can we talk?” Owen hears and he turns around, confusion coursing through his entire body as he notices Office Reyes standing in front of him, fidgeting, nervous. All of the other firemen have moved deeper into the station, no doubt to get some sleep or food and Owen finds himself nodding at the other man before tilting his head towards his office.

“Are you fine in my office or --” Owen trails off, not sure where to finish and how to finish. The silence afterwards is awkward before Office Reyes nods his head and takes a stilted step forward. Owen as no idea what to think and with a small frown, he lets out a soft hum before he heads to his office, ignoring the look of confusion on Judd’s face, and wonder on Michelle’s. He wonders, briefly, where his kid is, but he shakes the thought away, knowing that if TK needs him, he’ll come find him.

When he finally gets to his office - the walk feeling longer than it should have in general - Owen opens the door and ushers the officer inside of it, curiosity completely piqued at the young man and what he could possibly want.

“Please, take a seat,” Owen gestures, grabbing a pitcher of water and poured himself a glass before holding it out for Reyes, who shakes his head and bites his lower lip, looking away, feeling awkward himself, Owen has no doubt about that. A couple of minutes pass as Owen pulls his chair out and gets comfortable, waiting for the officer in front of him to say whatever it is that he’s here for, eyes watching the man critically. He can recognize the man’s attractiveness, can see why his son would go for the other man, but there’s something about him that doesn’t really click with Owen when it comes to TK’s romantic choices, personality wise, and he can’t help but wonder if TK has noticed it or not.

He shakes his head at the thought though, relaxes his body and arches one of his eyebrows as Reyes remains silent before letting out a small breath and leaning forward.

“Officer --”

“Call me Carlos. Please?” Reyes questions and Owen pauses briefly, tilting his head before nodding.

“Carlos. Why is it you wanted to talk to me privately? What’s this about?” Owen questions and there’s something inside of him that squirms as the other man takes a breath and bites his lip, looking away, looking squeamish, like he’s about to drop some bad news that the man isn’t quite ready to hear.

“So uh - I know this isn’t really - but I figured you should probably know - and well -”

“Reyes, spit it out.” Owen interrupts, a small smirk forming as he tries to not let out a small laugh at how the other man stumbles over his words. 

“I had to arrest TK the other night,” Carlos eventually gets out and Owen finds himself blinking in surprise, the laughter sliding off his face as his eyes narrow in thought and his arms folded in front of him. 

“What for?” He ends up asking, arching one of his eyebrows once more when Reyes lets out another breath.

“Fighting. He was sober, but he had gotten into a fight with two dudes at the bar.” Reyes answers and Owen -- Owen blows out a breath, partially because he had wondered if his son had taken a drink and hadn’t told him but mostly because --

His son had gotten arrested and hadn’t told him. Of course, Owen knew his line of thinking was hypocritical, since he was hiding a pretty big secret from his son himself, but the fact that TK had gotten arrested and hadn’t even said anything to Owen hurt more than he thought it would, and he knew he was going to have to talk to his son sooner rather than later about the news. Add in the fact that Carlos knew enough about TK to mention that he had been sober, well -- Owen was incredibly interested but put aside that information for later.

“And you’re telling me this -- why?” Owen asks after a few moments of silence, looking at Carlos even more critically than before. “What makes you sure that TK hadn’t already told me? Or that you should have told me in the first place, days later?” Owen questions, letting the smirk fall off his face once more before he lets out a small huff of breath.

“Thank you, Carlos, for telling me. You shouldn’t have, but I appreciate that you did. Was there anything else, or are you able to see yourself out?” Owen questions and briefly, he knows he should be slightly less harsh on the man than he is, but he also knows that his son isn’t going to be too happy in general that the officer came here and told Owen what had happened. Owen watches for a minute as Carlos opens and closes his mouth before abruptly shutting it and shaking his head, turning around and heading towards the door.

“Thanks -- for -- everything?” Carlos ends up saying, though Owen nearly laughs at how it comes out a question and he nods, blowing out a breath as he stands and heads towards the door himself, watching as the young officer heads towards Michelle and the two of them head towards the doors of the station.

“What was that about?” He hears next to him and he doesn’t jump, moving back into his office and rubbing his face tiredly before sitting back in his chair and looking at his son.

“We need to talk. Can you close the door?” He asks, and he notices instantly when TK recognizes the words and tenses, following his instructions with a small frown.

“Da--”

“Tyler Kennedy Strand,” he interrupts, interlacing his fingers together while TK’s mouth snaps shut, knowing how serious Owen words by the use of his son’s full name.

“I’ve been hearing that a lot lately,” TK mutters and Owen doesn’t stop himself from snorting.

“Like when you were arrested?” He asks, waiting for his words to sink in. He doesn’t have to wait long for TK to realize why he’s in Owen’s office, a small groan escaping from him as he drops his head on his forearms, which are resting on his desk.

Owen continues to watch his son for a few minutes, watching as TK tries to sort through his own thoughts and how he wants to continue this conversation, and Owen can understand completely why TK seems to be hesitant as he moves forward in the chair.

“How--” TK begins, his eyes narrowing in thought and Owen doesn’t say anything, allowing his son to put the pieces of the jigsaw together with a small smile, waiting for the ball to drop, which it does a moment later.

“Carlos told you, then,” TK responds, letting out a small breath of frustration while Owen hums in response, watching his son. He knows the two have slept together, knows that TK isn’t ready to move forward, and while he wants to know more about how that’s going -- Owen knows when to push his son and when to give it a rest, and Owen can tell that now would not be the time to push.

“Yeah. And I gave him a little bit of hell for doing so, since he shouldn’t have, but  _ that _ isn’t what’s important right now.” Owen says, breathing carefully before leaning forward to mirror his son’s position - elbows and arms on the table, fingers locked together.

“What the hell, Tyler, were you thinking?” Owen ends up questioning, heart pumping as he begins to feel furious over the fact that his kid was arrested and he never fucking knew. Sure, he wondered where the bruises and cut lip came from, had asked his kid and was clearly given an excuse, but to find out now, a while after the fact --

“First off, why didn’t you  _ call _ me when it happened? Because I know for a fact that I remember seeing your car in the driveway the night before you ended up with a fat lip,” Owen begins, holding his hand up when he sees his kid opening his mouth to cut him off, shaking his head briefly. It’s been a long time since he’s had to scold TK about something, and an even longer time since he had to do the hand coming up due to it, and right now, he has a lot to say.

“Secondly, why didn’t you tell me the truth about the bruises and cut up lip when I asked? Because we both know that you had no reason to lie, kiddo - both about being arrested, what you were doing that night and how you had gotten the injuries,” Owen begins, biting the inside of his cheek before relaxing back into his seat and blowing out a breath of frustration, hand coming up to rub his forehead.

“And all I even know about that night is that you were arrested for fighting. I don’t know why, and I would love to know why, kiddo. Why you thought it was a good idea to go to a bar and look for a fight. Why you thought it would be a good idea to hide it from me, especially when you were arrested -- you realize if it continues to happen, I need to take disciplinary action as your  _ captain _ , and not just your Dad, right?” Owen gets out, arms gesturing and moving while TK looks away, and Owen knows his son feels guilty, but he needs to know what’s going through his kid’s mind. Without a second thought, he moves out of his chair and into the chair next to TK, turning it so he’s facing his kid, taking TK’s head in his hands.

“Tyler--” Owen begins, rubbing his face before blowing out another breath, “TK… Talk to me kid. We used to talk all the time about everything. What’s going through your mind?” Owen asks and he waits patiently for TK to say what he’s thinking, trying to ignore the pain in his heart when he sees pain in TK’s eyes, and how they’re beginning to water.

“Dad--” TK begins and Owen doesn’t think, arms wrapping around TK’s shoulders, bringing him and just breathing him in as TK silently sobs.

“Talk to me kiddo, please,” Owen asks, waiting once more, holding onto his son tightly as he cries into his shoulder. He knows his son feels a lot, knows TK needs to let his emotions out, and as he continues waiting, he wonders if maybe he should admit his own secrets afterwards.

“I just - I got into a fight with Judd, after the silo incident,” Owen hears after a few minutes, and he has to move away slightly to look at his kid, surprise clear on his face while TK snorts.

“Yeah. He uh, he called me out for not following his instructions, and he said some things that had pissed me off, and we had gotten into a fight. If it wasn’t for Paul, you probably would have had to separate us,” TK adds with another snort, before looking at Owen and sighing when he sees the look on his Dad’s face, “And don’t worry, we talked it out and both apologized, so stop looking angry,” he chuckles and Owen lets out a breath before nodding, waiting for TK to continue.

“But after that, I was still so  _ angry _ Dad. I had all of this anger, and no way to let it out. Normally it would have been --”

“Drinking or drugs,” Owen interrupts while TK nods and wipes his face free of the tears that had fallen while he lets out a small breath.

“So I had all of this anger and energy and nowhere to release it so --”

“You went to the bar and found two people who would be easy to provoke into punching you?” Owen asks, feeling disappointment go through him when TK nods his head and looks away, Owen recognizing the look of shame in his face.

“I mean, it’s better than breaking your sobriety, but still not a good thing, kiddo,” Owen chuckles, hand coming up to rest on TK’s neck while his son chuckles, something Owen had wanted to see when he said it.

“I’m sorry, Dad,” TK whispers and Owen nods, placing his forehead against his son’s and breathing him in briefly before leaning away, trying to figure out what to say to his kid now.

“Alright, first off - I need you to tell me when something’s wrong, alright? When you feel like fighting, or breaking your sobriety, or when you need help telling a certain officer to stop  _ pushing _ , tell me, and I’ll  _ help _ ,” Owen responds, chuckling when he sees his son turn red at the mention of Carlos, ignoring the groan that is emitted. 

“You’re my kid, Tyler. And I love you, so not knowing when you’re going through something? Hurts a lot, kiddo,” Owen chuckles, trying to ignore the way he’s feeling over his own hypocrisy. 

“Dad--” TK says, tilting his head and Owen shakes his own, breathing out before briefly leaning forward to press a kiss to the top of TK’s head.

“I’m not - I’m not ever going to judge, you know that right? I just need to know you’re ok and willing to accept help,” Owen adds while TK nods briefly. Its a conversation the two of them have had numerous times since TK was a teenager and Owen has no doubt that it’s a conversation they’ll continue to have over the years.

“Yeah Dad, I know,” TK responds with a smile and Owen finds himself nodding, squeezing his kid’s shoulder, letting silence grow between them. Owen watches TK, relaxing while TK watches him, his head tilted and a frown on his face. 

“Whatever it is you’re not saying Dad - you know you can talk to me too, right?” Owen looks up at his son with wide eyes before smiling, huffing lightly, not surprised, nodding after a few moments.

“I--”

“And you don’t have to tell me now, not if you’re not ready. I get it, having secrets for yourself. I’m just saying, I’m here too. I’m always -- you’re my Dad, my best friend.” TK says, shrugging his shoulders and Owen doesn’t stop himself from surging forward, wrapping his arms around his kid and squeezing his shoulders.

Even without telling TK what’s going on, his son has picked up on  _ something _ and decided to give his Dad space to tell him in his own time and Owen loves his son holy shit, but he’s feeling guilty because he’s preaching one thing and doing the other and he knows it’s not fair to his kid. He opens and closes his mouth for a few minutes before pushing his fingers into TK’s hair and running them through it, trying to comfort himself and make a decision.

“Dad, c’mon. Stop,” TK laughs and Owen lets out his own chuckle, closing his eyes briefly and hugging his kid once more before pulling away and standing up.

“I’ll tell you, I promise. Soon. It’s not something I don’t like keeping from you,” Owen says after a few minutes and he watches as TK nods, nudging him carefully and Owen grins at his kid, so thankful that the two are as close as they are. Owen doesn’t stop himself from smirking though, nudging his son once more.

“You gonna explain why Officer Reyes felt like he had to tell me about your fight though?” He teases, grinning when TK lets out a groan and rubs his face.

“He’s still trying to get me out on a date, I guess. I’ve told him though --” TK pauses, frowning before he shrugs his shoulder. 

“I think I may have to tell him again? I don’t know, but I’ll figure it out. Maybe I need to be a little more clear and open. Though, I don't know how more open I need to be since I've told him I'm not ready after my last failed relationship and relapse,” TK adds quietly and Owen hums softly.

“Well, I don’t have to tell you again I’ll be here if needed.” Owen adds and TK nods, though Owen hears his son snort.

“And what’s going on with you and the medical captain?” TK teases while Owen groans, shaking his head.

“Yeah, we’re not going there,” Owen chuckles while TK smirks.

“Am I going to have a new step mother sometime soon?” He adds and Owen laughs, nudging his son while shaking his head.

“ _ No _ ,” Owen confirms, a laugh escaping from him as the two make their way to the communal kitchen, Owen nodding at Judd and Mateo while he notices TK looking around for either Marjan or Paul, a small grin forming on Owen’s face when he realizes his son has other people to talk to.

“Want some lunch? Or do you want to go out for lunch?” Owen asks and he watches carefully as TK looks on in thought.

“How about I make you something for once?” TK teases and Owen laughs, shaking his head before gesturing for his son to lead the way through to the kitchen.

“Go right ahead, kiddo. I’ll never say no to your food,” Owen responds, grinning wide while TK lets out his own laugh. Briefly, Owen notices the rest of the team looking up at the sound and Owen realizes no one has really heard one of his son’s true laughs, and something within him grows with happiness when he looks back towards his kid. He knows that TK isn’t completely better, is still healing, but he also knows that he’s opening up more -- whether that be with relationships or friendships and Owen couldn’t be happier with his son’s growth. 

“Dad, stop,” TK whines playfully before laughing and Owen shakes his head with a grin and shrugs his shoulders in response.

“I’m proud of you, you know. You’re trying. After everything you’ve been through, you’re still trying, and that means a lot to me, kiddo. So I’m proud of you, no matter what.” Owen says, serious and TK turn towards him and Owen watches as his kid gulps and then nods his head, coming around to wrap his arms around Owen’s shoulders.

“Love you too, Dad.” TK whispers, before grinning and backing away, “Now stop being mushy and making me vulnerable in front of my new friends,” he adds with a grin towards Judd, who only snorts, while Mateo looks on in confusion.

“Maybe we should all have lunch together. A family meal, or something,” Mateo says and everyone looks at him with a frown, while Mateo blushes.

“I uh - I knew people who did something similar, back in L.A” Mateo adds while Owen tilts his head upwards and Judd hums, TK grinning.

“I like the idea of that. Any idea where Marjan and Paul are? Think they’d like to join?” TK asks and Owen watches as Mateo gets up and goes to look for them, no doubt inviting them to the meal as TK begins cooking and Judd goes back to the newspaper.

Yeah, Owen thinks with a grin - his son is growing, and while Owen hasn’t shared his secret yet, he knows that everything will be better eventually, and together, the two will continue to grow, no matter how upset Tyler is at first. And there’s nowhere Owen would rather be in this moment, than with his son and their new teammates. 

**Author's Note:**

> Concrit is love. Comments are love. You can come yell at me on my tumblr, [smartbuckleystrand](https://smartbuckleystrand.tumblr.com)


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